Here are some of the Premier League-related news stories you may have missed:
  • “Meet Hull City: America’s New Team, Albeit From Britain” (ESPN Magazine). ESPN catches up to the biggest story in the Premier League this season. This year’s Wigan Athletic, Fulham and Reading — three teams who have warmed the hearts of many Americans during their last few seasons for adventurous play and never-say-die attitude.
  • “Premier League Fears Web Pirates” (BBC Sport). Where the Premier League sees a problem, I see a solution. A Premier League lawyer estimates that most illegal sites attract approximately 250,000 fans for a single game. Instead of trying to fight the unstoppable, the Premier League needs to provide football fans with a legal way of watching all league matches online. There’s enough room and pent-up demand for both TV and online rights to co-exist, providing the Premier League with the possibility to generate unprecedented amounts of revenue.
  • “Manchester City Will Be Wearing Umbro Next Season” (The Daily Mail). Looks like Man City will be getting rid of Le Coq Sportif and replacing them with Umbro for next season. Could Peter Kenyon also be heading to Manchester?
  • “Best Of 2008 Awards” (Football Shirts). EPL Talk is the proud recipient of its first award. This time it’s for Best Independent Football-Related Blog.
  • “Hammers Bring Me Back To Reality On Bleecker Street” (The Times). The Game Podcast host Phil Jupitus takes in a match at a New York pub and describes his experience.
  • “Rebranding The Premier League” (Sport Is A TV Show). Blogger Fredorrarci has a bit of fun at the Premier League’s expense in response to their recent campaign to stop The Offside from using club team crests on its site.

One last item: Both myself and Johnathan Starling have been nominated for the Best Writers category in the Football Fans Census Awards. Just pull down the drop-down menu and scroll down to the ‘Other’ category to pick either of us. No registration is required and the vote only will take 30 seconds or less. Thanks in advance for your support.